MANDATORY PHILIPPINE NATIONAL STANDARDS

1.         In
accordance with the provisions of R.A. No. 4109, R.A. no. 7394,
Executive Order No. 913, Series of 1983, DAO No. 9, Series of 1990, DAO
No. 1, Series of 1997, DAO No. 8, Series of 1995, and Sec 10(4), Title
X, Book IV, of the Administrative Code of 1987, the mandatory
implementation of the following specific product standards is hereby
ordered, for the protection of consumers and the general public:

1.1    NS 49:2002          Steel bars for concrete reinforcement — Specification

1.2    NS 211:2002        Rerolled steel bars for concrete reinforcement — Specification

2.         All manufacturers, distributors, importers and retailers of said products shall comply with the requirements of these standards.

3.         A
third party certification, known as the PS Quality and/or Safety
Certification Mark, shall be obtained from the Bureau of Product
Standards (BPS) by all manufacturers of said products.  Importers
of said products shall secure an Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) from
the BPS as a pre-requisite of import shipments to be released by the
Bureau of Customs.

4.         BPS
shall promulgate implementing guidelines specifying implementing
timetables, taking into consideration present inventory levels,
production capabilities of industries, and testing capabilities of BPS
and other testing institutions.  When necessary,
BPS may designate an appropriate competent organization to assist in
various aspects of standards implementation work (such as product
inspection, testing, market monitoring) for these products.

5.         The
implementation of these standards shall be done in proper coordination
with the DTI Regional and Provincial Offices and the Bureau of Trade
Regulation and Consumer Protection (BTRCP).

6.         All
other orders or parts thereof which are inconsistent with the
provisions of this Administrative Order are hereby repealed or amended
accordingly.

7.         This Order shall take effect fifteen (15) days after publication in two newspapers of general circulation.

Accordingly, all parties concerned are hereby informed that copies of said standards may be secured from the BPS Standards Data Center.

Adopted: 6 Aug. 2002

(SGD.) MAR ROXAS
Secretary